Child vehicles, including a wide range of tricycles, quads, scooters and the like, remain very popular with consumers. Traditionally, these child vehicles were self propelled, in that the rider of the vehicle typically provides the motive force that results in movement of the vehicle in a direction dictated by the handlebar or steering mechanism. These self-propelled vehicles might take the form of pedaled vehicles, such as traditional tricycles, or foot-powered vehicles, such as traditional scooters or foot-to-floor vehicles. More recently, however, consumers have found motorized vehicles an attractive alternative to self-propelled vehicles. These types of vehicles typically include an electric motor operatively coupled to one or more of the vehicle wheels for providing the motive force resulting in movement of the vehicle. Such motorized vehicles include a power source, such as a battery, for providing power to the electric motor. The battery is usually of a rechargeable type that allows the battery to be recharged by coupling the battery to an electric outlet, via a power cord or the like, over a certain period of time.
While motorized child vehicles have gained in popularity over the last several years, these vehicles have a number of drawbacks that limit their full acceptance in the commercial landscape. By way of example, the batteries used to power the electric motors are typically heavy and cumbersome to use. In this regard, a recharging operation may require the battery to be removed from the vehicle prior to charging. This may require the owner to perform several disassembly steps and lifting operations to achieve battery removal. Additionally, battery life for such motorized vehicles is often relatively short. For example, a typical battery may power a vehicle for as short as a few hours. Moreover, in contrast to useable battery life, the recharge time of these batteries is relatively long. For example, in many cases, the battery would need to be charged for several hours to reach a fully-charged state. Many users charge the battery overnight in anticipation of use the following day. In many cases, however, owners forget to plug the battery in during the overnight period, perhaps resulting in frustration and disappointment.
Another drawback of motorized vehicles is that once the battery is depleted, and the motor no longer propels the vehicle, children tend not to use the vehicle for further play and enjoyment. In this regard, the vehicle will often be left abandoned in the yard, porch or garage until an adult recharges the battery. Accordingly, the available play time of the vehicle is limited, reducing the overall enjoyment factor of the vehicle. In an attempt to extend the play time of motorized vehicles, some vehicles are configured to be used in a traditional sense after the battery life has been depleted. However, the drive train of these vehicles, such as one or more of the wheels, remains engaged with the motor such that movement of the vehicle has to work against the motor (often associated with an audible motor “whining”). This results in a significant drag or resistance due to the motor that may make it difficult to move the vehicle under pedal power or foot power. Consequently, these vehicles remain difficult to use, and are often not used, after the battery life has been depleted.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved motorized child vehicle that allows the vehicle to be more effectively used in a traditional sense after the battery life has been depleted.